This medium-sized messenger bag, the “Eighty 012,” is a one-of-a-kind accessory that sells on the EvenOdd website for $64.65. It's made of recycled vinyl, inner tubes and seatbelts.Lots of couples possess shared dreams. But it's the rare pair who are so beautifully matched that they can happily go into business together.

So it is with partners Ashley and Eliza, who make gorgeous accessories from material that would otherwise take up space in landfills.

“We both share a passion for design,” Ashley says, “along with a desire to make a living doing what we love—on our terms. We share everything else in life, so it was only natural for us to close the circle and work together as well.”

At their design firm, EvenOdd Creative, based in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts, they produce way-cool accessories out of graphic-heavy recycled materials, such as large printed banners. Every piece is handmade. One of a kind.

Eliza, left, brings graphic and web design expertise to the business. She's also a photographer. Ashley, an FIT graduate, is a seamstress and accessory designer. Together, they formed EvenOdd Creative.“Since we met, we've always had the nebulous idea that we'd build a creative firm of some sort together,” Ashley says.

They decided in 2008 that it was time to start to break out on their own.

“We didn't want to be a part of the traditional high fashion world of New York City,” Eliza says. “But we wanted to put Ashley's recent education—at the Fashion Institute of Technology—to good use.”

EvenOdd was the result of months of brainstorming about how they could best merge their skills.

“The recycling aspect came later when we were prototyping our bags,” Ashley says. “We needed durable, cheap material. We found that Rochester has an endless supply of vinyl banners and bike inner tubes that usually go directly to landfills.”

Their message to Rochester businesses? Before you throw it away, talk to EvenOdd.

“Their junk is useful to us, and by partnering with us, they help the environment,” Eliza says.

The business has been a smashing success so far, and Ashley and Eliza have plans to grow. While much of their product line has focused on messenger bags, the duo have released a line of wallets this fall, made from 100% recycled material.

The "Eighty 007" by EvenOdd.“We've also had many requests for EvenOdd T-shirts, so those are in the works as well,” Eliza says. The shirts will be limited edition, screen printed in house, and numbered.

Two Rochester retailers carry EvenOdd products. Thread, 654 South Avenue, and Craft Company No.6, 785 University Avenue.

And then there's the EvenOdd web shop, where you're greeted with this cut-to-the-chase introduction: “If you want a boring, cookie-cutter bag off an assembly line in China, get off this site and go to the mall, because you won't get one from us.”

May it ever be so.

 

See more: www.evenoddcreative.com/store and on Facebook

Say hi: info@evenoddcreative.com